The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-08-18
ANOTHER LETTER.
Jeff Davis Comes Back at Elk
Gov. Curtin.

| U0A OdVlS SOllSS DUN dG La
Gov. Curtin.
BEAUvo1R, Miss, July 30.-My attention
| has been called to a letter of exGov. Cur
| tin, published in the Herald of the 18th
inst. in regard to an alleged completely
on his part with a purpose to assassinate
me during the war between the states, and
also to letter from Wilkesbarre Pa, on
the same subject, published in the World
of the 18th inst. l solicit the use of your
columns to make brief statement of the
| facts so far as they are known to me:
Gov. Curtin makes two mistakes in his
letter. First, that had made public &C
cusatlons against him, and that l had al
legged that he was to pay 100000 to a
DIES perado for my assassination, all this
based on newspaper article purporting
to be the report of an "interview" held
with me for publication by a news
paper cores pendent. Such was not
the case. A well known historian pro-
posed to write my biography, and
asked me to give him for that purpose an
account of attempts made during the war
to assassinate me. l told him in that con-
nection and for that purpose that an an
onymous letter of warming has been sent to
me from Philadelphia to the effect that
the governor of Pennsylvania had released
from the penitentiary notorious convict
ON the condition that he would go to the
south and assassinate me, and II successful
he was to receive as a reward 100000.
As the letter did not use the name of Gov.
Curtin, I omitted it in my statement of
the substance of the letter, and as the VIII
ter did not state how the money promised
was to be raised l did not attempt to sup
ply the omission. Indeed, it was quite
unim portant to me whether it came from
secret service fund, from the private
purse of the governor, or was contributed
by Others, who, with like zeal, 'sniffed the
battle from afar and cried havoc
"Ihe anonymous letter acquired an i'm
portance it would not otherwise have pos
sessed from the fact thataboHt the time of
its receipt, when going to my residence at
the usual hour, | saw man crouching be-
hind the basement wall of the paling OF
the yard fence and looking intently toward
the gate entrance. Instead of preceding to
the gate, / turned and went toward the
crouching figure As he was approached
he rose, fled and escaped.
The Importance thus given to an anony-
nous letter induced me to inclose it to the
Hon. W. B. Reed, of Philadelphia, with q
request that he would make such inquiries
as to him might be practicable to dis
cover the writer,an to verify or disprove
| the statements.
OGov. Curtin's emphatic contradiction
of the accusation against him pertains
not to me, but the writer of the letter, who
is unknown to me, and for whom l have
not vouched. The avowal of Gov. Curtin
of zeal to maintain the government by
honorable warfare and the denial that he
ever resorted to such means for the con.
duct of the war; mark a commendable
appreciation of the obligations of civil
lied war, and it is pity that there should
be anything to interrupt the current OF
his self-laudation. The letter from
Wilkesbarre, already referred to, certainly
reveals conduct not very different from
that alleged by the anonymous letter
writer. 1t thereby appears that Gov
Curtin received an application, apparently
from the United States war department
for the release from the Pennsylvania
penitentiary of notorious convict, tina
he might be sent over the lines for a spe-
cifc purpose on this and other like rep
reservations.
sit appears that an order was issued b.
the governor for the release of the con
Wet. 1t is not shown that the governo
knew or thought proper to inquire TO
what special service the general OF tn
army required convicted criminal; tina
the fact that he was to be employed at tn
south was enough to secure complianc
with the application. To an averag
;,,to ,lo 1,
question would naturally have arisen, TO
what proper duty with the army can
convict be particularly qualified? In tn
absence of information on that point, i
might have reasonably been supposed
that the specific purpose was to do an &C
which soldier worthy of the name woulC
not perform.
ASSASSINATION
might readily have been supposed to b.
such specific purpose, and the applica-
ton for release have been postponed 70
further information and refused, unless i
should be such as would Justify compli
ance by bringing in the purpose within
the pale of honorable warfare
"GOV. Curtin does not say whether thi
was tho first transaction of the kind be
tween himself aud the United States wa
department., but his ready belief that tn
forged letters were genuine would indi
cate that it was not surprising event
Sin conclusion, repeat that, in stating
the substance of the anonymous lette
received by me and the attendant circum
stances, it was not intended to accuse o
to excuse Gov. Curtin; neither was tn
statement made for a newspaper article
and conditions precedent for further in
vestigation were imposed upon its publ
cation even in the proposed biography.
Respectfully, JEFFERSON DAVIS"